Shepard's Creed: Origins
by Seanchaithe
Summary: Rejected by the Alliance, Elizabeth Shepard must find a new path to forge. Salvation from herself comes in the form of the Brotherhood of Assassins, an ancient order sworn to protect the free will of all beings. AU influenced by Assassin's Creed, Pre-ME1. Rewrite of previous story.


_"Daddy, tell me a story."_

_"It's late sweetheart. I'll tell you one in the morning."_

_ "Please Daddy. Just a short one. I promise never to ask again."_

_ "Alright. A quick one."_

_Once upon a time, at a large mountainside there was an eagle nest with four large eagle eggs inside. One day, an earthquake rocked the mountain causing one of the eggs to roll down to a chicken farm, located in the valley below. The chickens knew that they must protect the eagle egg. Eventually, the eagle egg hatched and a beautiful eagle was born. Being chickens, the chickens raised the eagle to be a chicken. Years passed without the eagle thinking anything different other than the life of a chicken. The eagle loved his home and family but it seemed his spirit cried out for more._

_One day he was with his fellow chicken picking seeds off the ground when a shadow covered the sky above him. He lifted his gaze and was mesmerized by the sight of a beautiful eagle cruising the sky. Unlike other chicken that he saw trying to fly, this eagle didn't seem to be making much effort. With his wings spread wide, he was flying smoothly and changing his direction with the slightest gesture._

_"Wow. Look at that!", yelled the young eagle to his friends. "Who is that?", he asked._

_"That's an eagle", replied a chicken. "He's the king of the sky. But we belong here on earth. We are chicken." she continued._

_And the eagle staring at the bird disappearing in the horizon as if it was gliding on an invisible path that only he could see. As the eagle continued to watch he said, "I wish I could soar like those birds."_

_The chickens roared with laughter, "You cannot soar like those. You are a chicken and chickens do not soar."_

_The eagle continued staring at his real family up above, dreaming that he could be like them. Each time the eagle talked about his dreams, he was told it couldn't be done. That was what the eagle learned to believe. After time, the eagle stopped dreaming and continued to live his life as a chicken._

_One day, an old eagle was flying again over the barnyard and was stunned by the sight of an eagle running around with the chicken. He surged down to the ground. As the other birds saw him they ran back to hide in the house. He descended in front of the other eagle before he reached the door._

_"What are you doing?" asked the old eagle._

_"What do you mean?" answered the young one._

_"What are you doing running around with chickens?"_

_"I am a chicken. These are my brothers and sisters. I grew up with them."_

_"No you're not. You're an eagle. You belong in the sky, not on the ground."_

_"No I am not. I am one of them. All I know is to do as they do, and to eat what they eat. I can't even fly."_

_"You can't because you never tried. But you're an eagle, just like me"._

_"Even if what you say is true, I've lived all my life as a chicken. I am not an eagle anymore"."_

_"It's the heart of an eagle that matters, not the way he lived or ate… Come with me."_

_The eagle took another look at his friends hiding in the comfort of home. "Don't listen to him!" yelled one of the chicken. "He is tricking you!" cried another. " If you go with him, you will die!", " Come back and be with us"…_

_But deep inside the eagle's heart, a faint voice told him what he needed to do. He took one more gaze at the barnyard where he spend all his life playing with his friends, then turned around and followed the older eagle._

_A moment later, the arrived at the edge of a cliff. They stood next to each other on the edge looking at the mountains in the distance. Without a second of hesitation, the old eagle jumped off the edge, spread his wings and soared upward._

_The young eagle looked down the cliff and trembled. He'd never flown before. May be he would die. May be he should go back._

_"Don't look down.", the old eagle said "Look up at the sky. Aim toward the sun. Give it a bit of faith."_

_The young eagle lifted his sight up, spread his wings and leaped…_

_Back at the barnyard, the chickens heard a triumphant cry that ascended to heaven. Their feather trembled and they looked at each other without exchanging a word. They know they will miss their brother a lot. They know he might visit some day and tell them how it felt to fly. And they will gather around to hear his stories about the lands he visited. But for the time being, they would keep doing what they did best: living as chicken._

_"That was a good story Daddy."_

_"I'm glad you liked it. Now, time to sleep."_

_"Someday Daddy, I'm going to fly."_

_"I know you will, sweetheart."_

_"Goodnight Daddy. I love you."_

_"I love you too. Goodnight Lizzie."_


End file.
